Housing

Turning old houses into green homes

By Darren Quick

22:37 October 20, 2008 PDT

Building environmentally friendly houses from the ground up is all well and good, but what about the existing energy inefficient houses most of us still live in? In 1930’s England three million semi-detached houses, or duplexes, were built and are still a major part the current housing stock. Now a three-year research project is about to start at The University of Nottingham that will help people living in these properties meet the Government’s ambitions to reduce CO2 emissions from homes. The joint project with the energy firm E.ON aims to learn energy efficiency lessons for the future from the failings of houses in the past. Read More

Come in Rover: the Pet sensing doorbell

By Emily Clark

23:53 October 5, 2008 PDT

Pets don't have knuckles with which to rap on the door, but technology can help when your furry friend wants to come in. The Pet Sensing Doorbell uses a smart key attached to your cat or dog’s collar to activate a cordless doorbell and alert you to their presence - no barking or scratching required. Read More

LifeVillage modular housing solution for remote communities

By Emily Clark

22:10 September 28, 2008 PDT

Designed to address the problem of access to critical utilities in remote areas and developing nations that lack the necessary infrastructure, Envision Solar's modular self-contained LifeVillage integrates clean power and water treatment into buildings and communities, no matter what the location. Read More

USB stick bottle opener

By Emily Clark

19:36 September 7, 2008 PDT

The list of things you can do with your USB memory stick just keeps getting longer. The latest 2-in-one effort from TrekStor will ensure you don't get caught short at your next BBQ - the USB stick CO is a high-speed data storage device which doubles as a bottle opener. Read More

geos zero energy residential community launches in Colorado

By Emily Clark

11:05 July 18, 2008 PDT

Colorado will be home to the largest net-zero energy, master-planned community in the US after plans were announced for 250 residences to be built. Construction of the Geos Neighborhood will begin this fall and, once complete, will generate enough renewable energy to offset 100% of the annual energy needs of the entire community. Read More

Californian housing estate gets solar as standard

By Emily Clark

17:05 April 23, 2008 PDT

A new housing estate, with solar power to be included as a standard feature in all homes, has been officially opened in San Bernardino County, California. Opened on Earth Day, ‘Harmony’ is a planned residential development and a collaboration between CenterStone Communities and Petersen-Dean Roofing Systems that will lower residents’ utility costs by up to 50%. Read More

New Toronto waterfront development will have a “future proof” energy centre

By Jude Garvey

18:43 March 17, 2008 PDT

March 18, 2008 Waterfront Toronto, a 2,000 acre area of largely publicly owned land, is one of the largest urban developments currently underway in North America. As part of the project, a 3500 square meter District Energy Centre is under development which will consist of an interconnected network of underground pipes which that be extended to every area in each of the waterfront precincts. The plant will initially be powered by natural gas but the design will incorporate the necessary features for easy conversion to more sustainable, alternative fuel sources when they are approved for urban use. This "future-proof" system will make the new waterfront neighborhood a more efficient and sustainable user of energy in years to come. Read More

Architecture students think outside the box to design low-cost, less-waste housing

By Jude Garvey

00:28 February 20, 2008 PST

A non-profit organization has given architecture students a chance to learn about the practical, hands-on elements of their future profession whilst exposing them to the benefits of building low-cost, sustainable housing using materials sourced from the local area. Since 2000, DesignBuildBluff and graduate students from the University of Utah’s College of Architecture & Planning have designed and built energy-efficient, inexpensive houses using natural building methods and materials made of recycled products and locally salvaged waste or by-products. Read More

First BoKlok display home opens at Gateshead

By Emily Clark

16:29 January 31, 2008 PST

February 1, 2008 In the latest news from the IKEA affordable housing project in the UK, the first BoKlok display home has been unveiled in Gateshead. A two-bedroom apartment has been fitted out, along with a two-bedroom unit converted to an office/marketing complex that features a BoKlok exhibition area. The apartment and the unit are open now for the public to view. Read More

Cohousing community shines with solar

By Emily Clark

22:06 November 26, 2007 PST

November 27, 2007 Originating in Denmark, cohousing is a concept whereby residents actively participate in operation of their own neighborhoods and are committed to living as a community. In Colorado, one such neighborhood is installing solar systems into homes and a shop, supplying half of the community's electrical needs and reducing their carbon footprint. Read More

"Condo-cam" keeps an eye on your second home

By Emily Clark

03:13 October 26, 2007 PDT

October 26, 2007 Having a holiday home is a wonderful luxury, but the casual nature of visits to the property can leave it open to security risks such as break-ins and vandalism. By fully embracing the benefits of remote technologies now on the market, a new property development at Le Paradis Beach, Golf & Marina Resort in St. Lucia acts is helping residents keep a close eye on their second homes. Read More

Sky Garage: off-street parking for the upwardly mobile

By Emily Clark

20:40 October 22, 2007 PDT

October 23, 2007 Parking is the cause of much stress in any major city around the world and New York is definitely no exception. The tiny island of Manhattan has a land area of just 22.96 square miles (59.47 km²) but is home to more than 1.5 million people. With limited space and residents needing somewhere to park their cars, one property developer is planning to take to the sky to accommodate residents. Read More

More BoKlok homes for Gateshead

By Emily Clark

22:09 October 21, 2007 PDT

October 22, 2007 Following our report earlier this month that applications had opened for the innovative

BoKlok housing project in the UK, approval has been granted for even more of the homes to be built at Gateshead in the UK. Read More

Applications open for first UK Boklok housing

By Emily Clark

22:24 October 7, 2007 PDT

October 8, 2007 IKEA has accepted applications from potential homeowners for the first release of Boklok houses in the UK. Gizmag has been following the progress of this innovative housing development that aims to create affordable and sustainable housing to offer space and flexibility to low income families. Read More

Hydrogen based power offers green alternative for homes

By Noel McKeegan

18:14 September 6, 2007 PDT

September 7, 2007 In a development that marks another step towards the vision of a sustainable, clean future for home power generation, UK company ITM Power has announced the upcoming release of a device which can generate hydrogen in the home to fuel central heating boilers and cookers while drastically cutting CO2 emissions. Set to go into production next year, the ITM electrolyser is designed to utilize off-peak or renewable electricity sources to create its own hydrogen fuel which can then be stored and used as a conventional gas to burn in central heating boilers as well as a fuel for cooking. Read More

Sustainable House Day 2007

By Emily Clark

19:51 August 21, 2007 PDT

August 22, 2007 Australia will again be celebrating sustainable housing at this year's Sustainable House Day to be held on Sunday 9 September 2007. The event, organized by the Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society, is a national open house day for sustainably designed houses and will take place only in Australia this year. Read More

IKEA housing development steams ahead in UK

By Emily Clark

05:59 August 15, 2007 PDT

August 15, 2007 Work has now begun on the first BoKlok "flat-pack housing" development at St James Village in Gateshead, UK. Previewed in Gizmag in May this year, the project aimed at delivering fast, affordable, energy efficient and stylish housing has just moved into its construction phase. Read More

Solar reflective film boosts home heating efficiency

By Noel McKeegan

05:57 August 13, 2007 PDT

August 13, 2007 A rural family home built recently in Massachusetts has used, among other eco-friendly technologies and systems, insulating glass units that will significantly cut the amount of energy used in the home. The Heat Mirror insulating glass unit from Southwall Technologies is a solar reflective film applied to a window’s interior that prevents the loss of radiant heat through the window at least three times more efficiently than double-pane glass. Read More

It's not much, but we call it home

By Loz Blain

June 14, 2007 It's just so hard to find the right home for your family of 6, 168 cars and 600 full-time personal staff. India's second-richest man, Mukesh Ambani, decided the only way was up. His 60-storey high vertical palace in Mumbai, to be completed in 2008, tells an epic tale of excess - and the locals aren't happy about this ostentatious display, some calling it the "dawn of a new age of vulgarity". Read More

The relocatable KITAHAUS Pod

By Mike Hanlon

October 10, 2006 As technology evolves, our ability to create remarkable temporary living and working environments has grown considerably, as can be evidenced by our recent stories on relocatable structures such as the off-the-grid home, the Sphere House, the Nackros Villa, the Free Spirit Sphere, the LoftCube and the first mobile hotel room. Now we can add to that the KitaHaus Pod which is designed as a stand-alone accommodation or temporary office and can also be interlink to create unique temporary or permanent living and working environments. The KitaHaus legs are adjustable so it can be situated in almost any site including normally unusable sloped and wooded areas. The construction is of sustainable materials using glulam frame, over boarded in 12mm ply and insulated using Actis super 9 fabric. The entire surface is then tiled using larch timber shingles which will eventually turn a silver grey colour. The pod’s main usage is envisaged as a holiday retreat but clearly it has many possibilities with an anticipated cost of GBP 50,000 to GBP 75,000 depending on volumes. Read More